Victory Beer Blog

Meet John Dykstra, a Senior Brewer here at Victory Brewing Company. He’s one of men in blue working hard to make the beer you love taste so good.

Q: Your title is Senior Brewer. What do you really do here?
A: Essentially, I am in charge of insuring that what we put into the fermenters is within spec. It’s my job to make sure that the pre-fermented liquid is the right color, has the correct cell count, etc. That involves everything from ordering raw materials to overseeing hop additions to measuring yeast.

Q: How long have you worked for Victory?
A: A little over two years. Before working for Victory, I was with Capital City Brewing Company in Washington D.C. And before that, I was a private sector marketing consultant.

Q: What is the coolest thing about your job? And the worst?
A: I like that brewing is a nice mixture of mental and physical stress. We have to do equations and figure out water levels and yeast counts one second, and then carry dextrose up on the deck the next second.

I’m the one guy who misses wearing a tie to work. I look for any excuse to wear a tie these days. I’m always the nicest dressed person anywhere because I never get to wear a tie to work. Most people would consider that a benefit, but I want to look nice on occasion.

Q: What was the worst job you ever had?
A: I was a cook in college at a crummy restaurant. It wasn’t all-bad because I learned to cook, but management was terrible there.

Q: Tell me something about yourself that no one would know just by looking at you.
A: I’m actually a pretty passionate cook. I like to make just about anything, but pizza is my specialty. I make my own dough, sauce, etc. I also make a pretty mean posole, which is a Mexican stew made with hominy, radishes, mushrooms, onions, peppers and a ton of other ingredients.

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A: A baseball player.

Q: Now that you’re a grownup, what do you want to be when you grow up?
A: Rich — but I am pretty comfortable with what I’m doing right now. Not rich in wealth, but rich in spirit.

Q: You discover a magic lamp, like Aladdin, and you get three wishes. What are they?
A: World peace, an end to world hunger and, if it’s kosher, I’d wish for more wishes.

Q: Finish this sentence: Beer is…
A: A fermented beverage made with water, malt, yeast and hops.

Q: What’s your favorite snack food?
A: Potato chips. I go through a couple bags a week. Specifically, kettle chips.

Q: What is your favorite line to quote from a movie?
A: “With friends like you, who needs friends” – Rushmore.

Q: What is your favorite Victory beer and food pairing?
A: Prima with spicy fajitas. It works as a nice palate cleanser.

Q: What was your favorite TV show when you were a kid?
A: I watched a lot of old-school TV like the Andy Griffith Show.

Q: Tell us something that you were into as a kid/teenager that you are totally embarrassed by now.
A: I was one of those obnoxious Dave Matthews Band fans. I thought he was great. I got a guitar and tried to learn to play even though I lacked talent. It lasted a few years.

Q: Someone is making a movie about your life, and it starts filming tomorrow. Who should be cast as you, and who should be cast as your love interest?
A: Eddie Murphy in a fat suit will play both roles.

Meet Justin Brunda. He’s the one making sure our beer gets put into the kegs, bottles and trucks in order to bring Victory to you!

Q: Your title at Victory is Director of Distribution Operations. What does that mean to the person who drinks Victory beer?
A: I’m really just a pencil pusher. I deal with supply chain management, planning of production, packaging and distribution.

Q: How long have you worked here at Victory?
A: 5 years.

Q: What is the coolest thing about your job?
A: I’d have to say the people. From the brewers, to the restaurant staff, my distribution team and our sales staff everyone has a common goal. In the craft beer industry there are non-stop changes and everyone adapts and makes it happen. Everyone sees the big picture. I’ve made a lot of friends here at Victory.

Q: What was the worst job you ever had?
A: I’ve been pretty fortunate and haven’t really hated any of my jobs. Had some dangerous ones like bouncing at a few clubs in the city, but nothing I didn’t like.

Q: Tell me something about yourself that no one would know just by looking at you.
A: I’m obsessed with 60s soul music: James Carr, Clarence Carter, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, you name it and I probably own it in some format.

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A: A professional hockey player. Andy Moog was my Guardo Camino. Sorry, I’m a closet Bruins fan.

Q: Now that you’re a grownup, what do you want to be when you grow up?
A: A professional hockey player! Although I don’t think the knees will hold up. Joking aside, I’m good. I’m happy doing what I’m doing. Great company, great people, great beer. What else could a 30-year-old dude ask for?

Q: What would you do if you won the lottery?
A: This is the question I would insert a “responsible” answer like pay off my house, or invest. However, people who know me would call me out. What would I do? BLAZE.OF.GLORY. What I mean by that is it would be a one month, one man, shenanigan-filled, beer-soaked, riot-train of a party that would make Mötley Crüe uncomfortable. I think our readers deserve an honest answer. Then if there was any money left, I’d probably buy a boat and something nice for my lovely girlfriend Amy.

Q: Finish this sentence: Beer is…
A: The social lubricant that keeps us all sane.

Q: What’s your favorite candy bar?
A: I don’t really eat candy. More of a salty, crunchy snack kinda guy.

Q: What is your favorite line to quote from a movie?
A: “I miss your musk. I think when this whole thing blows over we should get an apartment together” ~Champ Kind, Anchorman

Q: What is your favorite Victory beer and food pairing?
A: The biggest piece of steak you can find (sorry to all my vegan friends), sautéed mushrooms, grilled asparagus, garlic smashed potatoes and a sixer of Victory Lager — ICE COLD.

Q: What was your favorite TV show when you were a kid?
A: The Simpsons (Duff Man, alright!)

Q: Someone is making a movie about your life, and it starts filming tomorrow. Who should be cast as you, and who should be cast as your love interest?
A: Well my love interest would be Mila Kunis. Therefore, the person playing me would be none other than ME! I’d play myself in an attempt to finally get next to the lovely Mila and win her Russian heart. Do you really think I’m just going to hand that role over to someone else? Please, I’m an opportunist.

If you have ever made the trip to Downingtown and visited our brewpub, it’s quite possible that you’ve already met Matt. He is the Restaurant General Manager for Victory Brewing Company and is the guy responsible for your dining experience with us. He is the one developing exciting events, training and hiring our servers and bartenders and managing the menu. And while he takes on the big projects in the brewpub, he is also humble enough to do occasional grunt-work like sweeping floors and filling salt shakers.

Just a few weeks ago, Matt made a decision to take on an even more daunting task than managing our bustling restaurant. He accepted a nomination to campaign to become the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man of the Year. In a few days, he will be writing a blog post to share with you what the campaign means to him, why he’s decided to get involved in the fight against cancer and how you can help. In the meantime, we’d like you to get to know the guy we’ve decided is our man of the year regardless of the outcome of his campaign.

Without further ado, meet Matt.

Q: How long have you worked for Victory?
A: Nine years.

Q: Describe for us what you really do here at Victory.
A: I have no idea; I guess I shoot eye darts at people a lot.

Q: What is the coolest thing about your job?
A: Drinking beer with cool people and organizing killer events.

Q: What did you study in school? How did you make your way into the restaurant field?
A: Marketing. I was a busboy at Cavanaugh’s in Drexel Hill when I was thirteen.

Q: How did you make your way to VBC?
A: I drank a bunch of Golden Monkey fourteen years ago when I was living in Royersford. I later wrote Bill Covaleski an e-mail asking for a gig.

Q: What is the worst job you’ve ever had?
A: Packing light bulbs in corrugated boxes for two, consecutive summers.

Q: Tell us something about yourself that no one would know just by looking at you.
A:  I am an organic chicken farmer.

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A:  I never really thought about it. I certainly never wanted to be any cliché like all the other kids who said “an astronaut.”

Q: Now that you’re an adult, what do you want to be when you grow up?
A: Talk show host.

Q: Finish this sentence. Beer is . . .
A: What makes life palatable.

Q: What’s your favorite candy?
A: Gummy bears.

Q: What is your all-time favorite movie?
A: Enter the Dragon

Q: What is your favorite Victory beer and food pairing?
A: BBQ ribs, fresh grilled sweet corn and cold macaroni salad with a  Prima Pils.

Q: When did you discover craft beer?
A: I guess I will give credit to my brother’s crappy homebrew when I was 18.

Q: They’re making a movie about your life, and it starts filming tomorrow. Who is cast as you, and who is cast as your love interest?
A: Adrian Brody and Ashley Judd.

Q: What genre would the movie about your life be?
A: Action, adventure, comedy, thriller and romance all rolled into one.

Last month, you met our graphic goddess, Paula. As you learned, she is the beauty and brains behind a number of Victory’s elegant designs. Today, we introduce you to Clay Jenkins. He, along with our other brewers, is the muscle and mind behind the flavorful beers you have come to know and enjoy.

Clay brewing with Iron Chef, Jose Garces.

Here’s a little more about the brewer…

Q: How long have you worked for Victory?
A: Almost 2 years.

Q: Describe for us what you really do here at Victory.
A: Basically try to convince machines to do what I want them to do. Most of my time is spent in the brewhouse treating the machines very nicely in order to get everything to run smoothly. It’s like large-scale cooking. Watching a bunch of different pots at once.

Q: What is the coolest thing about your job?
A: Answering people’s questions about beer and talking about beer with some kind of knowledge. A lot of people are really interested in the process and don’t know a lot about it. I think it’s really fun to teach about it and let people know what’s acutally in their glass and what it takes to get it there.

Q: What did you study in school? How did you make your way into the brewing field?
A: I was in college and didn’t know what I wanted to major in but I knew I liked science, so I ended up with a degree in microbiology. I had a microbiology professor who took me under his wing and got me involved with his own projects, some of which involved yeast. Through those studies, I discovered how beer and wine were fermented. I never looked back from there. I knew I wanted to brew and never stopped pursuing that career.

Q: How did you make your way to VBC?
A: After college, I got a job doing lab work for Magic Hat. From there, I went to California for a Master Brewers program. But, I knew I wanted to get back to the east coast. I’m originally from South Jersey. So, I heard of Victory a long time ago. My dad would drink it. My buddies would be drinking it. I knew the name and knew Victory had a good reputation and solid beers. I called Scott Dietrich and said “want to give me a job?”

Q: What is the worst job you’ve ever had?
A: I was a caddy for a long time. That really sucked. There wasn’t much respect going around for people doing all the hard work.

Q: Tell us something about yourself that no one would know just by looking at you.
A:  I’m an Eagle Scout.

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A: Major league baseball player. Shortstop.

Q: Now that you’re an adult, what do you want to be when you grow up?
A: Probably like a brewpub owner or something along those lines. Something to do with brewing still but maybe something that was “mine.”

Q: Finish this sentence. Beer is . . .
A: Good for what “ales” you. Pun intended.

Q: What’s your favorite candy?
A: Snickers.

Q: What is your all-time favorite movie?
A: The Big Lebowski.

Q: What is your favorite Victory beer and food pairing?
A: Prima Pils and hot wings.

Q: When did you discover craft beer?
A: Right when I could start legally drinking. At that point, I could get what I actually wanted and not just deal with what other people chose for me. I think my first was a Magic Hat #9.

Q: They’re making a movie about your life, and it starts filming tomorrow. Who is cast as you, and who is cast as your love interest?
A: James Franco could do a good job playing me. I think an obviously answer is Mary Louise Parker. She makes me feel all fluttery inside.

Q: What genre would the movie about your life be?
A: Definitely comedy. Because there’s no evidence that life should be taken seriously.

Clay with Anthrax frontman, Scott Ian.

Meet Paula Anderson, the Graphic Designer here at Victory Brewing Company.

Q: How long have you worked for Victory?
A: I have been here for a year and a month.

Q: Describe for us what you really do here at Victory.
A: I work on everything from keychains to labels to T-shirts to boxes to posters, just about anything you can think of.

Q: So you are the one who creates all of those awesome T-shirts in the retail shop and online?
A: A lot of them, I would say it’s close to half now.

Q: What would you say is your favorite T-shirt design that you have created?
A: I think that my favorite one is probably the fourth of July shirt, since that was a product of all three ladies in the marketing department. I like that kind of collaboration work.

Q: What non-T-shirt design are you most proud of?
A: Headwaters is an obvious choice. I designed the concept of the overall graphic design of the beer, and worked with Bill to refine it. I earned myself the title the “Queen of Curlicues.” I also worked on the Root Beer label, and I love the Root Beer case carton. I think that looks so cool.

Q: What is the coolest thing about your job?
A: The variety of projects, but in particular learning all the different methods of printing, that’s been fascinating to learn. I think my trip to Weber (the folks who print our case boxes) was the best. I got to go through their factory floor and watch the entire process, from making our cardboard to when they print and cut it. It was like being part of a Discovery Channel show. I think the coolest thing is seeing your artwork produced like that, it adds a whole other dimension to the job.

Q: What is the worst job you’ve ever had?
A: I would say working in the dining commons in college.

Q: Tell us something about yourself that no one would know just by looking at you.
A: Even before I started at Victory I was interested in baking with beer, and for the past couple of years I’ve been baking beer cupcakes. One of my first (and favorite) ones was a Guinness cupcake. I think the next one I tried was a Saison du Buff. My favorite Victory cupcake is a cupcake made with Scarlet Fire. (Recipe is below.)

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A: For the longest time I wanted to be an animator for Disney. I think I went through the marine biology phase like every other girl, wanted to be a dolphin trainer, and then I got into computers and did repair for several years.

Q: Now that you’re an adult, what do you want to be when you grow up?
A: A kid. I wanna live like a kid and hopefully when I have a family of my own I’ll be able to share that desire and do fun stuff with them.

Q: Finish this sentence. Beer is . . .
A: A meal in a glass.

Q: What’s your favorite candy?
A: Do Oreos count?

Q: What is your all-time favorite movie?
A: “Star Wars: A New Hope.” That would be Episode Four, so it’s the first Star Wars movie.

Q: And now, a seasonal question. What is your favorite Christmas song?
A: The non-traditional one would be Trans Siberian Orchestra’s “Wizards of Winter.” I like Christmas music you can rock out to. It was probably coincidence, but “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” always used to be playing when we were decorating the Christmas tree, so that would be my classical one.

Q: What is your favorite Victory beer and food pairing?
A: The one that was the best for me was before I worked here, there was a Scarlet Fire that I had with, I think it was acorn squash soup. That pairing made me just notice things in that soup which I never would have picked up unless I tried it with the Scarlet Fire.

Q: They’re making a movie about your life, and it starts filming tomorrow. Who is cast as you, and who is cast as your love interest?
A: Jennifer Aniston as me, because she is quirky, beautiful and I love her sense of humor. And my love interest would be Jamie Bamber. A lot of people don’t know him but he was one of the main characters in “Battlestar Galactica” and he is gorgeous.

Q: What genre would the movie about your life be?
A: Sitcom, because my husband and I are full of banter.

Paula’s Scarlet Fire Cupcakes

This recipe is an adaptation of the Guinness and Whiskey cupcakes from sassydish.com

Ingredients

Cupcakes
1 cup Victory Scarlet Fire or Smokin’ Oats
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Frosting
Basic buttercream frosting (homemade or store bought)
4 Tbsp. real maple syrup
Powdered sugar
½ lb. thin-sliced bacon

Directions

Cook the bacon until well done and crispy. Cool completely. Crumble and set one half-cup aside for the frosting. The remaining bacon will go in the cupcakes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring 1 cup beer and 2 sticks butter to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in a large bowl until well-blended. Add the slightly cooled beer mixture, and beat just until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture, until just combined. Fold in the bacon crumbles. Divide the batter among lined cupcake pans, filling them 2/3 of the way.

Bake for about 17 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. (If your oven bakes unevenly, you’ll want to rotate them midway through the cooking process.)

For the frosting, start with a basic buttercream, either homemade or store bought. Mix in 4 Tbsp. of maple syrup. If the frosting starts to become too thin, add powdered sugar, a teaspoon at a time, until it thickens. (Note: If you can find maple sugar or maple candy, crush that and add to the frosting instead of the syrup. It’s easier than using syrup, though can be difficult to find.)

Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost and garnish with the reserved bacon crumbles. If you’re feeling really fancy, drizzle maple syrup or sprinkle maple sugar on top.

Next week, Scott Dietrich, the Director of Brewery Operation here at Victory Brewing Company will be heading to Washington for the annual hop harvest. He’s going to be blogging about his trip, so we thought you might like to get to know him before he starts.

Q: Your title at Victory is Director of Brewery Operation. What does that mean to the person who drinks Victory beer?
A: I don’t make the beer, but I set the guys up to make the beer. Anything to do with production, the product, the quality of the product, safety, equipment maintenance, I’m involved in all of that.

Q:  How long have you worked here at Victory?
A: About four years.

Q: What is the coolest thing about your job?
A: Cool is not a word I use a lot. I would say just being a part of a company that’s growing, and being challenged every year to make more beer without sacrificing quality

Q:  What was the worst job you ever had?
A: Selling kitchen knives. Cutco. I did that for less than one day.

Q: Tell me something about yourself that no one would know just by looking at you.
A: I like to collect used coffee cups on my desk.

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A: You mean after I wanted to be a fire truck or a tractor? Originally an architect, the first time I started thinking about it.

Q: Now that you’re a grownup, what do you want to be when you grow up?
A: Well, I am what I want to be for now. But maybe when I retire I wouldn’t mind working at a winery or a distillery, just for sh*** and giggles. I have this idea that a winery, because they only do one vintage a year, would be less hectic. That probably isn’t true, though.

Q: What would you do if you won the lottery?
A: Probably complete every household renovation I have been talking about, and then move on from there. I don’t think I would kick back on the beach and do nothing, but it sure as hell would be nice not to sweat it at the end of the month.

Q: Finish this sentence: Beer is . .
A: Life.

Q: What’s your favorite candy bar?
A: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Q: What is your favorite line to quote from a movie?
A: There are so many. “Fat Drunk and stupid is no way to go through life.” – Animal House

Q: What is your favorite Victory beer and food pairing?
A: I actually like Prima and any sort of seafood.

Q: What was your favorite TV show when you were a kid?
A: I used to watch M*A*S*H a lot after school, on a 13 inch black and white TV.

Q: Someone is making a movie about your life, and it starts filming tomorrow. Who should be cast as you, and who should be cast as your love interest?
A: Harrison Ford, but American Graffiti or Indiana Jones Harrison Ford, and then Kate Winslet.

- K.H.

In this month’s Meet Victory entry, we move from the brewhouse to the corporate offices, and introduce you to Kelly Thomas, Sales Administrator extraordinaire. It’s Kelly, a proud Wisconsin native, who handles all the nitty gritty legalese to make sure that our beer is allowed in the 29 different states where it’s served.

Q: How long have you worked for Victory?
A: Three and a half years.

Q: What is the coolest thing about your job?
A: Besides working at a cool brewery. . . I think I like the fact that on a daily basis I get to work with and drink with the people behind such a great beer.

Q:  Your title is Sales Administrator, but tell us what that means.
A: I help get the beer in consumers’ hands, because I do sales support and compliance. Compliance is the registration and licensing to get beer into the 29 states that we’re located in, and the brands that are available in each state. No compliance, no beer.

Q: What is the worst job you ever had?
A: I’ve always had pretty good ones. I think my worst one was I worked at K-mart in the sporting goods/toys department, and people automatically assumed that I had kids of my own, at age 16, instead of taking me seriously about fishing equipment. Everyone automatically erred to the babies end, rather than the non girly stuff.

Q: Tell me something about yourself that no one would know just by looking at you.
A: I’m a huge James Bond fan. I have two James bond tattoos, original paperbacks, records, framed art. Sean Connery for life.

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A: Teacher or librarian. It was kind of a toss-up.

Q: Now that you’re a grown-up, what do you want to be when you grow up?
A: I didn’t ever really plan on growing up. Can I have a beer and get back to you on that one?

Q: What would you do if you won the lottery?
A: Buy a house in Wisconsin, and take my first trip out of the country ever. Because I was supposed to do that before I turned 30, and I did everything but.

Q: Finish this sentence. Beer is . . .
A: Scrumptrulescent. (It’s from one of those Will Ferrell skits, where he’s James Lipton on “Inside the Actors Studio.”)

Q: What’s your favorite candy bar?
A: Snickers.

Q: What is your favorite line to quote from a movie?
A: “Make like a tree and get out of here.”

Q: What is your perfect Victory food and beer pairing?
A: Prima Pils and [insert food here].

Q: What was your favorite TV show when you were a kid?
A:  The A-Team. It was the first one I thought of.

Q: They’re making a movie about your life, and it starts filming tomorrow. Who is cast as you, and who is cast as your love interest?
A: Love interest for sure is Paul Rudd. I would love to see Natalie Portman as me. She’s cute and sprightly. I’m not sprightly, but I’ll take it.

&

- K.H.

Last month, in our first entry in the Meet Victory series, we all learned a little more about Ron Barchet, co-founder and CEO of Victory Brewing Company. Now we would like to introduce you to Kevin McGovern, the Senior Cellar Brewer here at Victory. If you’re drinking a Victory beer right now, Kevin had a part in brewing it. We sat down with Kevin over a beer in the brewpub, and here’s what he had to say.

Q: How long have you worked for Victory?
A: It will be four years in August.

Q: What is the coolest thing about your job?
A: Duh! [Takes big drink of beer]

Q: How does your role at Victory affect a Victory beer drinker?
A:  As the Senior Cellar Brewer, I am involved with the aspects of brewing once our wort leaves the brew kettle.  This includes, but is not limited to monitoring fermentation and maturation, separating and filtering and physical checks (read: drinking!) of clarity, flavor and aroma.  So, next time you hoist an aromatic, delicious, bright golden Prima, you can thank me.  Or, better yet, buy me one!

Q: What is the worst job you ever had?
A: I haven’t had too many bad ones. I worked at an oyster bar, and had to wash dishes and devein shrimp all day. But I also got to make myself plates of nachos, so that was cool.

Q: Tell me something about yourself that no one would know just by looking at you.
A: I’ve been on America’s Funniest Home Videos. A friend and I were tossing an empty keg back and forth and I tried to do a handstand on the keg and fell off. I see myself on reruns on ABC Family all the time.

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A: First I wanted to be a carpenter, which I still kind of want to be. Then I wanted to be an architect but I took my first drafting class and decided no. But now I think I could be an architect, because of the attention to detail.

Q: If you won the lottery, what would you do?
A: I would pay off my parents’ house, travel a lot, maybe buy a house. I probably wouldn’t quit my job though.

Q: Finish this sentence: Beer is . . .
A: Dericious. (Note: This is how Kevin said it.)

Q: What is your favorite candy bar?
A: Three Musketeers

Q: What is your favorite line to quote from a movie?
A: I don’t think you can print that.

Q: What is your perfect Victory food and beer pairing?
A: A tall frosted Prima with just about anything from a pig. If you want to get specific, pork chili verde.

Q: What was your favorite TV show when you were a kid?
A: Boy Meets World. They play two episodes now at 7 a.m., so when I’m on night shift I come home, have a beer and watch it again.

Q: They’re making a movie about you, and it starts filming tomorrow. Who is cast as you? Who is cast as your love interest?
A: I get that I look like Keifer Sutherland when my hair is longer, so maybe him. I’ve always had a big crush on the mom from Married with Children, so I would cast Katy Segal.

- K.H.